“We’re going door-to-door in all the Phase VIII apartments to collect the recycling they’ve saved over the week. We’re going to track how many pounds each building accumulates, and whoever collects the most will be the winner. Facilities Management will remove the recycling when we’re finished,” said UT Dallas sophomore Alison Beatty, founder of Sustenants, an environmental advocacy group.

“Statistics show that freshmen generate more than a ton of recyclable material every week. I’d be astounded if we got that much, but I am really hoping that we’ll be able to pick up a lot of recycling,” she said.

A trash compactor for recyclables in the student apartments parking lot collected 2.86 tons of materials on Jan. 27 and 3.42 tons on Feb. 17.

The Phase VIII door-to-door collection also is tied into the Games of the Gods competition, in which freshmen try to earn points for their building throughout the academic year.

“We need to make sure we have enough volunteers to be able to get all the recyclables out of every apartment in a reasonable amount of time. We also need to be sure to have enough bags to collect the recyclables, a scale to weigh the materials, and precise coordination with Facilities Management to ensure it all gets taken away,” Beatty said.

Students, faculty and staff can help by recycling whenever on campus.

“Sometimes it takes a little longer [to find a receptacle], but it’s worth the effort,” she said.